darts

[JoeyB]

How many people on here play darts?

if so what darts do you use?

any tips or guidance??

cheers geezers!!!

[RobHawk]

I play now and again, just me and some mates pissing around though!

If your looking for dart there are lots to different styles and weights so you need to work out what's comfortable for you!

As for tips, just keep it fun! In my experienced the best games are ones you make up on the spot! Playing 501 all the time gets tiresome!

Oh and don't call people geezers! You sound like a dick!

[Guest BlueBrett]

Got a board in my bedroom and throw a few most days but badly need some new arrows. At the moment I've got two of one kind and one of another which needless to say is incredibly annoying. I'm no pro so no idea about weights or anything like that but I keep meaning to pick up the lcfc ones they have in the club shop. Anyone know if they are any good?

[AKCJ]

I love watching and playing, but i'm absolutely dire

Although I think I could give this lad a run for his money, bless him.

[kingfox]

I play in my back room, every day, maybe one hour a day, but sometimes I cba.

I use Jelle Klaasen's Darts, which I have got about 10 180's with.

I just need to find an urge to play more often, then I will be beating these BDO players sooner or later.

[pSinatra]

I used to play in a league, but had to give it up because of other commitments. I played in a league for about 10 years & enjoyed it a lot. It gets you out the house, a few beers with your mates, a bit of grub & seeing places you wouldn't normally. I've played in some right shite-holes, but generally speaking it's a good crowd & a good night out.

There's a different league for every night of the week - so you can decide what league you want to join on what night would suit you best. I have always played darts but wasn't sure if I would make a complete dick of myself playing in a league. As it turned out, I would describe myself as slightly above average. There are some teams that take it very seriously & will have players that are outstanding.......then you have some teams that are there purely for the crack & a night out. There is certain darts etiquette & a few teams take it all far too seriously. Those are the shit nights.

If you're thinking of starting a team & you can get about 6/7 of your mates to commit to playing on the same night every week......go for it!! Don't worry about your darting ability......I guarantee there are worse players than you!! Ask your local landlord if he would be interested in having a darts team......he/she should be more than interested - it puts a fair bit of money in the till.

I'm not sure there are any tips I can offer - it seems to be down to your personal technique & lots of practice!! There is no substitute for practice.

I use Harrows Eric Bristows 24g. They're nothing special & I paid about £25 for them. Some of my team-mates used to swap darts every other week & they got gradually worse - not better. If you feel comfortable with a set - stick with them. It's practice that will make you better!!

I don't know how many 180's I've ever had, but it's got to be well over a hundred & my highest checkout is 119. The best I've done 501 is in 16 darts. I was above average.....but a long way behind the best in the league.

If there's nothing on the telly, or I'm waiting for my dinner to cook, etc....I'll go and chuck a few darts. In total I probably practice on average between 1 & 2 hours a day.

[BoneDog]

I am a pro in a way.

I'm probably one of the top six throwers on FT. I was going to say top three, but I've taken into consideration the dark horses who don't like to brag, so I'll play safe and say top six.

These tips are probably obvious, but this is how I started to get better. And when I say better, I mean shit hot. Not sure if it's just down to natural ability, or if it's my own coaching what made me the thrower what I am today.

BASICS

When you first practice, work mainly on your stance. Try and remember the exact position you're whole body, and head, is at when you throw your best darts, and work on keeping that stance. After a while you'll automatically get into the right position. Lean, or put your weight on the front foot slightly and try to keep your head, shoulders, upper arm and elbow still while you are aiming. Your upper arm will move as you throw, but try and keep pretty steady on the aim.

ADVANCED USERS

When you get into 'stance and aim mode', imagine a vertical line that goes through your specific target and the rest of the dartboard, and comes out from the board to just in front of your eyes. This is the line that your dart and forearm want to stay on as you pull back (if you pull back at all), throw forward and follow through. This helps to get used to keeping your back and forward arm swing motion straight. If you go off line on the throw you'll probably miss your target by more than an inch* - WHICH IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. It's not only not acceptable, it's downright embarrassing for everybody in the room. Try putting your elbow and dart on that line as you aim, and keep them on the line as you do the throw movement (or just put the dart on the line if you don't feel good with both, keep it on the line during the whole movement for best results). If your arrow goes to either side of your imaginary line you're shit and have no co-ordination. Retire.

Only messing, hahaha ha ha hah hah don't retire really, feel free to continue to have some fun games of darts.

You may have to adjust these instructions depending on your stance, but THINK ABOUT YOUR EYE, ARROW AND TARGET LINE. Keep your eyes, arrow and possibly your arm on the line and you should improve a fair bit.

As pSinatra said, in summary, the best way of improving at darts is getting to know your personal technique, working on perfecting your technique and lots of practice.

Not sure what weight my darts are (can't remember) but I've got two sets. Both slim grips but one set is slightly shorter than the other. Cost over £20 each but have lasted years. Had one set at least seven years. Got a Winmau Blade III board at the mo. Awesome board with minimal bounce-outs, and being as I pepper the treble 20 and other wires that is a big bonus.

*If you release too early or too late you'll also likely miss by more than an inch, sometimes by up to 6 inches, which is outrageous. This happens to me now and again when I aim for treble 20, release too early and hit double top.

[pSinatra]

Good tips there El.

I used to work with a lad who was a semi-pro. I'm not sure that's exactly what he was, but he used enter competitions in Ireland, Holland & places like that & come home winning quite a bit of money sometimes.

What El said about the 'imaginary line' reminded me of something he told me when I asked about tips. He told me about extending my elbow. This will help with keeping everything in line. By pushing the elbow forward, it naturally brings your shoulder in line with your chin. Your eye, shoulder, elbow & dart should now be on a much straighter line. Properly following through as well. A smooth action with your arm extending towards the board.

A lot of people will lean as far forward as they can to reduce the distance to the board - to the point that they are wobbling about on the front foot. I used to be a bit like that, but massively improved my consistency by relaxing my stance. I pretty much stand flat-footed, with only a slight lean forwards. It increased the distance to the board, but a better player for it.

This might sound like a daft thing to say but actually aim at what you're trying to hit. I suppose you could call it concentration? It's something I was guilty of not doing. I used to throw in the general area of the treble 20. Now I concentrate on a tiny spot in the centre of the treble 20 (maybe a mark in the bristle or hole left by a previous dart). This takes a lot of concentration on my part, but my darts have massively improved because of it. There were a couple of players in my team that were all over the place when scoring, but seemed more accurate when going for doubles......like they were actually aiming at the double & not a general area. I spoke to them about reducing the area they were aiming at & it seemed to help them....the same as it did me.

There's lots of online darts suppliers & apart from the darts & dartboard......it's dirt cheap. It might be worth trying different length shafts & different shaped flights.

To be perfectly honest, I think a lot about darts is psychological.......that it's all in the head!! I notice it when watching on the telly & when I'm playing myself. Some days I'm useless & other days I'm completely 'in the zone'. That said, the more I practice the more often I am 'in the zone'.

[BoneDog]

To be perfectly honest, I think a lot about darts is psychological.......that it's all in the head!! I notice it when watching on the telly & when I'm playing myself. Some days I'm useless & other days I'm completely 'in the zone'. That said, the more I practice the more often I am 'in the zone'.

It's very psychological. When you get in the zone it's unbelievable. It's like you stop thinking about throwing and your body goes on auto. The problem is how to stay in it for longer periods. As you say though, plenty of hours practice for a few weeks and it does happen more, so the practice is most important.

I've been trying to master clearing the mind whilst throwing for ages now, but half the time just can't pull it off. Trying too hard probably. And easily distracted by silly thoughts!

[JoeyB]

Anyone know of a decent place in leicester, derby or notts to get some darts from??

check out sports world and argos but they ain't got any that i like.......

[kingfox]

Anyone know of a decent place in leicester, derby or notts to get some darts from??

check out sports world and argos but they ain't got any that i like.......

Don't want to go buying Darts from places like that.

Go online and go to Darts Corner, I buy all my stuff from there.

[WhenYourSmilingLCFC]

Don't want to go buying Darts from places like that.

Go online and go to Darts Corner, I buy all my stuff from there.

Just ordered some bits off there myself. Red Dragon Darts id recommend. Decent range of darts on there.

[SystonFox]

Used to play a hell of a lot a few years back. Got to a decent standard but have genuinely never hit a 180.my biggest regret was not pursuing it till I did. Best checkout was something higher than 100 but I can't remember the exact number. Too much beer had passed

[kingfox]

Just ordered some bits off there myself. Red Dragon Darts id recommend. Decent range of darts on there.

Darts Corner or Red Dragon are definitely the best.

I opt for Darts Corner though, got a new dartboard last month, normal delivery so 3-4 days at £1, but it came the next day.

On the ball they are, very good.

[pSinatra]

Anyone know of a decent place in leicester, derby or notts to get some darts from??

check out sports world and argos but they ain't got any that i like.......

The lads in my team used to go on about a place in Loughborough where you could try before you buy, but I've never been myself. It's actually an archery shop, but they sell darts as well.

Here's their website. It doesn't have darts on there, but I'm pretty sure they do sell them. Give them a ring possibly?

http://www.merlinarchery.co.uk/

I know a shop in Birmingham that is really good, if you're prepared to travel that far? The shop owner is full of advice & he's really helpful. He will watch your action & grip then recommend weights & different grips.

'This is Darts' is in Yardley.

[JoeyB]

The lads in my team used to go on about a place in Loughborough where you could try before you buy, but I've never been myself. It's actually an archery shop, but they sell darts as well.

Here's their website. It doesn't have darts on there, but I'm pretty sure they do sell them. Give them a ring possibly?

http://www.merlinarchery.co.uk/

I know a shop in Birmingham that is really good, if you're prepared to travel that far? The shop owner is full of advice & he's really helpful. He will watch your action & grip then recommend weights & different grips.

'This is Darts' is in Yardley.

Just had to drop my mate off at brum airport so carried on to This is Darts, and it burnt down 2-3 weeks ago, i have no luck haha

[Uncle Albert]

There's a place in Loughborough, a specialised darts shop, Merlin something google it.

[pSinatra]

Just had to drop my mate off at brum airport so carried on to This is Darts, and it burnt down 2-3 weeks ago, i have no luck haha

That's a real shame, because it was a quality shop. I guess it was never meant to be?

There's a place in Loughborough, a specialised darts shop, Merlin something google it.

http://www.merlinarchery.co.uk/

Give these a try. I tend to think that the weight of dart isn't so important to me......that I eventually get used to it with practice. As I've said, I've never been to this place, but I'm fairly sure you can try before you buy.

[BoneDog]

Just had to drop my mate off at brum airport so carried on to This is Darts, and it burnt down 2-3 weeks ago, i have no luck haha

Unlucky!

I was going to pop in there for a look next time I was in Brum aswell.

[Corky]

Play darts in my room a lot.

Unfortunately the board is above a mantelpiece, and a tricky missed double 7 saw the metronome below it knocked off as it hit the edge of the board.

Scoring fluctuates wildly, decent high scores mixed in with pitiful low ones.